Sherwood Park Ukrainians get a parish

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Sherwood Park

Bishop Lawrence Huculak recently approved the creation of a parish in the area and appointed Father David Motiuk, currently an advisor to the bishop, as its first pastor.

Parishioners will celebrate Sunday services in the gym of Father Kenneth Kearns Catholic School until they build their own Church.

The parish, the first organized in the Edmonton Ukrainian Eparchy since St. Vladimir Parish in Red Deer began 20 years ago, will serve Ukrainian Catholics in Strathcona County and will hold its first Divine Liturgy April 14 at 10 a.m. Some 50 families are expected to attend. Services will be bilingual.

Sherwood Park Ukrainian Catholics began looking at the feasibility of establishing a new parish some four years ago. A nine-member steering committee was set up with Linda Osinchuk as chair.

Soon after its establishment, the committee stumbled upon a survey that showed there are at least 8,000 Ukrainians living in the area, which includes Ardrossan, Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park and Tofield.

Armed with this data and the fact the Ukrainian bilingual program has been going strong in Sherwood Park schools for the past 21 years, the committee approached the eparchy.

"There was a real strong base to support the creation of a Ukrainian Catholic Parish," recalls Osinchuk, a former Catholic school trustee.

The bishop told the group if they had a base of a minimum of 50 families he would consider establishing a parish.

"For me this is a sign of new faith, a new springtime within the church." - Fr. David Motiuk

"So for a number of years we went through the process of investigating if there was a need for a parish," Osinchuk said. Research showed people in the area are mostly second to fourth generation Ukrainian Catholics who would like to worship in the Byzantine tradition.

It also showed that while most attend services at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Sherwood Park, the area's only Roman Catholic Parish, others attend Ukrainian Catholic parishes in Edmonton.

"And so we did come up with a minimum of fifty families," Osinchuk boasted, noting Huculak gave the okay for the organizing of the parish in early January. The group is currently looking at land in Sherwood Park to build a Church, although that phase is still at least a couple of years away. A pastoral council for the still nameless parish will be established in the fall.

"We are all very excited about it," said Osinchuk, a mother of four who attends services at St. Basil Parish in Edmonton. "This is a blessing. This is an event that doesn't happen in one's life very often."

Everett Gauthier, another member of the parish organizing committee, said at this point there is enough interest in the venture, but it is uncertain how much commitment there is. "I think it will take some time to gauge what interest and commitment we really have over a long period."

However, the appointment of a "dynamic priest" like Motiuk is a clear sign the Eparchy is committed to the project and that things are moving in the right direction, Gauthier said. "We are very much excited and proud of that commitment from Bishop Lawrence. I think we are starting on the right foot."

Gauthier and his family live 5 kms east of Sherwood Park but attend services at Holy Cross Ukrainian Parish in north Edmonton.

In preparation for his new role, Motiuk, the newly appointed pastor, has been working close to Msgr. Jack Hamilton, the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He was expected to assist Hamilton in at least four Sunday liturgies prior to the opening of his own parish.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with the faithful in the establishment of a new Ukrainian Catholic parish for Sherwood Park and the surrounding areas," the priest said March 28. "For me this is a sign of new faith, a new springtime within the Church. It reminds me of the early pioneers who began from nothing to build community, to strengthen their faith, to make a presence and to be faithful to their commitment to the Church."

Motiuk will continue serving as canonical advisor to Huculak while serving the faithful of Sherwood Park and area. "For the time being I'll remain in Edmonton, but I am rather anxious to see that the pastor resides in Sherwood Park itself," he said.

"I think establishing a parish here in Sherwood Park is a wonderful idea," said Emil Ryski who, along with his wife Ellen, continue to attend weekend services at St. Vladimir Parish in Edmonton's Calder area eight years after they moved to Sherwood Park. "I'm very excited."

Julian Nahnybida and family also attend St. Vladimir, despite the fact they have lived in Sherwood Park for the past 11 years. "We are very excited," the retired separate school teacher and principal said. "We are going to go and see how things go. It's easier to get involved when you have something in your own community. It's more practical."

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